1915 Dime Error List with Pictures
An extra S above the main mint letter is the place to start on a 1915-S/S dime. Other reported mistakes affect the silver surface or the coin’s outline.
These 1915 dime errors have estimated values of $25–$1,500. A different-year Barber dime struck 10% off center reportedly sold for $360 in February 2025, providing one comparison.
Read on to find each feature and choose a price for a coin in similar condition.
1. 1915 Barber Dime Lamination (Estimated Up to $350)
A thin flap may lift from the silver or break away and leave a shallow patch. The metal separated along a weakness inside it, an effect called lamination.
The 1915 report does not give one mint or one fixed location for this feature. Look at the coin to see where its boundary lies.
The patch can interrupt the picture without following a particular letter or portrait line. Another dime need not peel in the same place.
Barber dimes contain silver mixed with copper throughout. A separating flake is not the loss of a bonded outer layer used on modern coins.
Estimated Value
Estimate $25–$350 for worn through lightly worn examples with an original lamination. A clear flap or missing patch can attract more interest than a barely visible flaw.
A 1914 Barber dime with back-side lamination reportedly sold for $317 at Heritage in June 2026. Its NGC MS65 grade means unworn with relatively few marks.
That is a different date and better-preserved coin. It provides a comparison, not a recorded sale of a 1915 example.
How to Identify
Look along the edge of the flap with a magnifier. Follow how the thin layer separates from the surrounding struck surface.
A gouge may leave tool marks and metal pushed to its sides. Compare that shape with a naturally splitting layer before naming the flaw.
Leave attached metal untouched. Move the light or camera to show the boundary without lifting it.
The normal dime weighs 2.50 g and measures 17.9 mm, with grooves around its edge. Use a scale and calipers where accessible without pressing on the flap.
A missing flake can reduce weight; an attached one may not. The useful first clue is the thin separating layer itself, rather than a low weight alone.
2. 1915 Barber Dime Clipped Planchet (Estimated Up to $400)
A curved bite can be missing before the coin receives its picture. The cutting punch overlapped an earlier hole in the metal strip, leaving an incomplete disc.
Cutting across the strip’s edge can instead leave a straighter gap. The disc then enters the press and receives the design.
This is a clipped planchet; planchet means the metal piece prepared for striking. The 1915 guide reports the category without naming a particular mint or gap size.
Nearby rim details show how the incomplete disc was struck. A later cut into a finished coin leaves a different boundary.
Estimated Value
Estimate $30–$400 for small worn clips through attractive lightly worn examples with a clear missing section. A readable date and mint identity help the comparison.
An undated silver dime blank with a clip sold for $59 at Heritage in March 2025, graded PCGS MS60. It had a prepared rim but had never received a design.
That related metal-error sale is not a dated Barber dime. It cannot establish the value of a particular 1915 clip by itself.
How to Identify
Start at the two ends of the missing section with a magnifier. Look for a rim formed around an incomplete disc rather than cut through afterward.
Parallel saw marks, a sharply cut wall, or file ridges suggest later removal. Inspect the edge grooves as they approach each endpoint.
The rim opposite the gap may also be weak. That can support an original clip but is not required on every example.
Use calipers across intact parts against 17.9 mm and a scale against the original 2.50 g. Wear and the missing section both affect weight.
Begin with the gap’s original-looking boundary and nearby struck detail. Missing metal alone does not show when it disappeared.
3. 1915-S Barber Dime Repunched Mintmark (Estimated Up to $700)
Part of another S appears above the main mint letter. The letter punch entered the die, the steel stamping tool, in more than one position.
The final punch did not hide all of the earlier shape. Later coins copied both parts during one normal strike.
NGC recognizes a repunched mintmark for 1915-S. The reported comparison places the earlier remnant above the main S.
S/S means one S impression over another. Wear can soften the small remnant, but a thick or damaged letter does not identify the variety by itself.
Estimated Value
Estimate $40–$700 for identified S/S examples from worn to attractive lightly worn condition. Clear extra letter detail and original surfaces support the stronger end.
An 1899-O with a repeated O sold for $115 in May 2023, graded AU Details. That means light wear with an additional condition problem.
It is a different date and mint letter. The sale offers a broad variety comparison, not a recorded 1915-S/S price or a fixed bonus for every extra stroke.
How to Identify
Find S below the wreath bow and keep that surrounding detail in the photograph. With a magnifier, inspect the space above the main letter.
Compare the raised remnant with a confirmed S/S picture. Its curve should fit part of an earlier S, not just an isolated lump.
Move the light to check for corrosion, a nick, or flat shelves around nearby details. These can give an ordinary mintmark a misleading extra edge.
The normal 90% silver dime weighs 2.50 g and measures 17.9 mm, with edge grooves. Use a scale and calipers where accessible, or records for a sealed coin.
The fastest useful match is the earlier S-shaped remnant directly above the main S.
4. 1915 Barber Dime Broadstrike (Estimated Up to $800)
The coin spreads wider while keeping its full picture. The collar, a metal ring that controls width during striking, failed to hold the blank normally.
Pressure pushed the same silver outward. A broadstrike does not need extra metal to create its larger outline.
Both designs remain complete, although the rim can be uneven and the edge may lack normal grooves. Missing outer design would suggest a different striking problem.
The 1915 guide reports broadstrikes using Barber-series comparisons. It does not identify a particular 1915 mint or establish that every mint produced a known example.
Estimated Value
Estimate $100–$800 for worn through lower unworn broadstrikes. Clear spreading and original surfaces generally make stronger comparisons.
An 1899 Philadelphia broadstrike sold for $161 at Heritage in June 2005. ANACS graded it AU Details, net XF40, noting cleaning and corrosion.
That is a different date with surface problems. Its low historical price is not a ceiling for a better-preserved example, and the estimated range is not a documented sale of a 1915 coin.
How to Identify
Trace the complete date, lettering, portrait, and wreath before judging the width. All should fit inside the available metal rather than disappearing beyond one edge.
Use a magnifier along the expanded area, then inspect the edge from the side. Failure of the retaining ring can leave incomplete or missing grooves.
Measure several directions with calipers against the normal 17.9 mm. A scale reading near 2.50 g supports the same metal spreading outward.
Hammering can also widen a coin, but often crushes its existing design. Look for that damage before relying on size.
The useful first combination is a wider outline, a complete struck picture, and an edge shaped by the same original strike.
5. 1915 Barber Dime Off-Center Strike (Estimated Up to $1,500)
Part of the design misses the metal when the blank sits off center. One area stays plain while the opposite part of the picture runs beyond the coin’s edge.
The 1915 guide lists off-center strikes without assigning one percentage or direction to a particular example. Those details belong to the coin being examined.
A readable date is especially useful to collectors looking for one year. A dramatic blank crescent can otherwise leave too little design to identify 1915.
The same misplaced blank should affect both faces. An uneven border on only one face can have another cause.
Estimated Value
Estimate $200–$1,500 for readable-date examples, from modest worn offsets to attractive lightly worn or lower unworn coins. Visibility and original surfaces affect the comparison.
A Philadelphia 1911 dime struck 10% off center reportedly sold for $360 in February 2025. Its PCGS AU50 grade indicates light wear.
That is a recent same-series comparison from another year. Neither its percentage nor its mint identity should be transferred to the general 1915 report without examining the actual coin.
How to Identify
Compare the full front and back before estimating the shift. Both designs should show the same misplaced blank, while one shifted tool can leave the other face centered.
Use a magnifier where the picture meets the plain crescent. Look for untouched metal rather than a surface ground smooth after striking.
A clip removes part of the disc; an off-center strike leaves blank metal in place. Keep that distinction visible in the photographs.
Use a scale and calipers against 2.50 g and 17.9 mm where safely accessible. Check the surviving edge grooves for filing or squeezing.
Start with a readable 1915 date and interrupted designs beside the same original blank area on both faces.
Conclusion
Estimated values for these 1915 dime errors range from $25 to $1,500. Find the extra S above the mintmark, or inspect the surface and outline for the other reported types.
A lifting layer, missing edge section, wider complete picture, and shifted design have different causes. Keep the whole coin visible when comparing them.
Sales from other years can guide an estimate, while the actual mint, wear, and surfaces still determine the useful comparison.